


Blonde Ice and Pink Fire

by SaraiNomed



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Guzma is trying his best, Love Confessions, Misunderstandings, Plumeria isn't taking his shit, This was supposed to be short but got waaaaay out of hand
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-04
Updated: 2018-02-04
Packaged: 2019-03-13 07:53:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13566132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaraiNomed/pseuds/SaraiNomed
Summary: The secret deal between Team Skull and the Aether Foundation serves both parties well-until a routine trip to pick up his team's 'paycheck' leaves Guzma with a hard decision to make. On top of this, his right-hand woman and admin suspects there may be more to their bargain than he lets on...





	Blonde Ice and Pink Fire

**Author's Note:**

> This started out as just a vague idea for a short little story about how Guzma and Plumeria found out they were falling for each other, but it blew WAY up and ended up being about 8 pages longer than I had originally planned. Oh well. Enjoy!

Guzma stood on the small beach behind and down the cliff from Po Town, arms crossed, hood up, and seriously starting to run out of patience. Daylight, what he could make of it through the perpetual clouds and fog, was starting to wane a bit. The boat to take him to Aether Paradise should have been there a good fifteen minutes ago and the longer he stood, the wetter and madder he became, not to mention the quiet gave his brain far too much time to dwell upon the disagreement he had had with Plumeria just before stomping down here...

_“Uh-huh...yup. Sure. Twenty minutes. Got it.”_

_Guzma hung up his phone and leaned back in his chair, trying to ignore Plumeria’s critical look before giving in to ask, “What?”_

_The pink-haired woman uncrossed her legs from where she sat on his bed and stood, “I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it a million times more until you decide to get it through that thick skull of yours...this deal is only gonna end bad.”_

_“Tch! I don’t ever here ya complainin’ when you got a full stomach.” he retorted._

_“Guzma!” she raised her voice in frustration, “We are bein’ used! Yeah, sure, it’s nice to have food and stuff, trust me I’m not complaining about having enough money to take care of everyone it’s just...” she sighed, shaking her head and dropping her voice again, “That woman is fuckin’ crazy, G. Someone’s gonna end up getting hurt. Or worse.”_

_“Yeah, well, sometimes you gotta take risks, Plumeria,” he stood, shoving his hands in his pockets and taking a couple strides toward the door, “And I ain’t seeing a lot of other options for our merry band of misfits. You got any ideas, lemme know-”_

_He stopped, eyebrows raised as she stepped in front of him, gold eyes flashing with fierce determination. They stood like this for a minute, locked in a silent battle of wills until Guzma glared at her and growled, “Move.”_

_“I don’t want anything happening to you, Big G. We need you,” her eyes dropped to the side for just a second before meeting his again, “...I need you.”_

_“For fuck’s sake nothing’s gonna happen to me would you quit worryin’ so much?!”_

_A shadow crossed Plumeria’s face, and Guzma could swear he caught a grimace of disappointment before her expression hardened and she spoke again, a note of challenge in her tone, “You really gonna let her manipulate you?”_

_“You gonna get the FUCK outta my way?!” he spat, shouldering past her, ignoring her demand to ‘get back here’ as he stormed out of the mansion, snapping at several grunts along the way..._

He groaned and rubbed his forehead, knowing he was going to have to face her and try and smooth things over at some point. She was his best friend and his right-hand woman, and he hated it whenever they butted heads; the angry words, the insults, the apologies afterwards and the lingering awkwardness until things were back to normal. Then there was the fact that for quite some time, he had found his feelings toward her slowly shifting in a new, though not entirely unwanted, still unexpected direction. He had tried to stuff them down and ignore them but lately it had been getting harder. Replaying the argument in his head, he kept coming back to the one thing; her almost hurt expression when he had told her to stop worrying. Why?

Just then he heard the hum of a boat’s motor, and looking up again he saw a small craft zipping around the corner of a rocky outcropping. Eyebrows lowering, he strode out onto the rickety dock he and a bunch of grunts had built just as the boat glided to a halt at it’s end. The Aether employee piloting it started to speak before Guzma interrupted him.

“The hell took you so long?!”

A short while later, the small boat slowed, engines sputtering as it glided underneath the massive, artificial island that was Aether Paradise and into the docking bays. Guzma frowned as he saw Faba waiting there with another employee, his usual dour, haughty expression on his face. Once the boat had anchored, Guzma disembarked and attempted to ignore the shorter man as he walked around him and started to make his way toward where he knew he had to go.

Faba, however, was having none of it.

He walked briskly to catch up with Guzma, sneering, “Ah, yes, good evening to you too, Mr Guzma. Thank you so much for asking how I am doing.”

“I dunno why you gotta keep babysitting me every time I come here.” the gang leader grumbled.

“Well, we can’t have you running around unescorted. Policy, trade secrets...can’t have you getting into trouble, now can we?” Faba replied in an overly-sweet, condescending tone, earning himself a withering stare, which he pointedly ignored as they got onto the direct elevator to Lusamine’s office. Faba dismissed the employee with them before hitting the appropriate button and the doors slid shut.

As the elevator rose, silence fell between them, the air tense and awkward. Guzma’s eyes flicked around the small enclosure, feeling, as he always did coming here, alarmingly out of place in the pristine, almost clinical space. He glanced down at his lightly dirty clothes and muddy, sandy shoes, thinking about how some poor sucker was going to have to mop up the trail he was leaving. Oh well; they were probably getting paid better than him, anyway.

Faba snapped him from his thoughts with a sharp clearing of his throat, “I’m not certain I've made this clear, but I do not like this little ‘deal’ between our respective groups. The only reason I’m willing to go along with it is because the President feels you and your...ruffians are useful, to which I do agree to an extent.”

“Oh, I think you’ve made it quite clear, Bean-Pole. Ya think you’re better than us, I get it. You done with the back-handed compliments?”

Bristling, Faba tuned his head just enough to glare at Guzma, “I shall choose to ignore the insult that I’ve told you numerous times not to call me,” turning his back again, the scientist sniffed, “You really ought to be more grateful for this partnership.” 

Guzma clenched and unclenched his fists, trying to decide whether taking a swing at this arrogant, stuck-up son-of-a-bitch was worth the probable jail time. Ultimately deciding it wasn’t, especially not with everyone waiting back home, he inhaled and exhaled several times to calm himself and thrust his hands back in his pockets to quell the temptation. Instead, glancing again at his filthy shoes, then at Faba’s spotless white uniform, another sort of revenge came to mind, juvenile as it were. Slowly, carefully, he raised his foot and swiped a muddy streak down the bottom several inches of Faba’s coat. Unable to hold back a snort of laughter, he admired his handiwork until his target turned around.

“What’s so funny?”

“Nothin’“ Guzma chortled, and feeling immensely better, stretched his arms and yawned loudly, further amused by Faba’s eye-roll. Just to further antagonize him, he reached down and gave his crotch a hearty scratch, throwing in a groan for good measure. Faba’s face twisted in disgust and he looked away.

“Aaaah!” sighed Guzma, “That feels better, ya know? Oh wait. You probably don’t.”

Just then, the elevator gave a cheerful ding letting them know they had reached their destination and the door slid open, Faba rushing out before they had fully done so, gritting his teeth and swearing under his breath. Guzma followed on his heels with his arms behind his head and whistling cheerfully.

Lusamine looked up at the sound of a knock on her door and called, “Come in.”

Faba entered with Guzma behind him and said with barely contained anger, “Your ‘business partner’ is here, Madame President. May I return to my research or do you need my assistance with anything else?”

“No, that will be all for now, Branch Chief. Thank you for escorting Mr. Guzma here as always,“ she shuffled several sheaves of paper together and gave Faba a humorless smile, “I do hope to have your latest notes on my desk by noon tomorrow. You are dismissed.”

He gave a slight bow and spun on his heel, shooting Guzma one more cutting glance as he started to leave. Lusamine’s eyebrow arched and she said, “Faba?”

“Y-Yes Madame President?”

“Your coat is dirty. How unlike you. I would expect you to care better for your appearance.”

“Wha-what? Where?!” he spun, trying to see what she was talking about before spotting the offending stain, “How in the world did that get there?!”

Guzma bit down on his lip, straining to keep from bursting into laughter. The scientist caught his expression and his face went red with fury, realizing what it meant. Without another word he stomped out and vanished.

Guzma turned back to Lusamine and shrugged, “Dunno what his problem is. Oh well. Good evening, Madame Prez. How you been?”

“Good evening, Mr. Guzma,” she replied, taking an envelope from her desk and holding it out, “I’ve been well, thank you. Plans are going along quite smoothly. Not as smoothly as I’d like, but all things considered, I suppose they’re going as well as can be expected.”

As she was speaking, Guzma strode forward and accepted the envelope, giving a nod as he did so. Stepping back, he snuck a look at the contents. He blinked. Something didn’t look right. Well aware she was right there watching him but not caring, he re-counted the amount to make sure he didn’t miss anything.

Lusamine rested her chin on her hands and asked in a cool voice, “Is something the matter, Guzma?”

His eyes flicked up, deep grey meeting icy green and he balked, unsure if it was wise or not to say anything. Her gaze, though seemingly friendly to the untrained person, dripped with cold venom, silently daring him to continue. She already knew where this was going.

Remembering the nearly empty fridge and pantries back at the mansion, how the electricity was fickle and the dwindling first-aid supplies he drew himself up, attempting a casual smile, “There’s uh...yo, Madame Prez, there isn’t as much money in here as usual.”

“Oh. Is that so?” she answered breezily, as if she didn’t already know, as if she wasn’t the one who had carefully counted every Pokedollar she had slipped inside, “Tell me, how many Pokemon have your team brought us this month?”

Guzma’s gaze flicked away, unable to meet hers any longer. Those piercing yellow-green orbs seemed to bore into him, taunting him. He balled his free fist, nails digging into his palm to steady himself, “I’m...not completely sure. I thought it was about the same as always.”

“You’re not sure? That’s quite sloppy of you, Guzma. I’m usually so proud of your leadership skills but it seems you’ve slipped this time. I’ll tell you, then,” she tapped several buttons on a control panel on her desk, bringing up a hologram projection of a chart and pointing to a series of numbers, “As you can see, I’ve received thirty percent less specimens this month. Therefore, you receive thirty percent less pay. I believe that’s only fair, after all.”

Guzma’s mind raced; had those idiots really caught that many less Pokemon, or, he feared, was she lying just to save herself some cash? That didn’t make sense, she needed them, so of course she’d want to stay in their good graces. He had already admitted he hadn’t paid attention, which was truthful, and thus had no leverage for calling her out. It really was his own damn fault. He vaguely realized he was breathing heavily and holding his head almost reflexively. _Stupid Guzma,_ he admonished himself, _What is wrong with you...?_

“Heavens, my dear sweet Guzma,” Lusamine cooed, “I see how upset you are. There’s no need to get that worked up about it. You just have to try harder next time. You’re a strong, intelligent man. I know you can figure out a way.”

Exhaling, wrestling himself back to a more coherent state before things got too bad, he dared to look back up at her, “Is there anythin’ I can do to make up the difference?”

Lusamine’s gaze seemed far away, and for a minute she didn’t speak. Then she stood from her desk and walked around it, approaching Guzma, her walk graceful and long hair swishing about her. He instinctively leaned back the slightest amount as she stopped in front of him, the top of her head just reaching his shoulder. Reaching one delicate hand out, her ivory fingers caught him under the chin and he froze.  
“Well, she said, “I can think of one thing...”

Plumeria paced the upstairs halls, annoyance, sheer determination, and the several mugs of coffee she had had keeping her awake. She kept trying to distract herself and telling any grunts she came across to go to bed already. It was nearly four in the morning, and Guzma still hadn’t returned. Usually on these trips he was back by nightfall, or soon after. This time, however, it was the wee hours of the morning and there was no sign of him. Plumeria stopped as one grunt stepped out of his room and flagged her down.

“What’s up Hagan?”

“Yo is the Boss back yet?”

Plumeria shook her head and forced a nonchalant grin, “Nah. Don’t worry about it. Most likely he stopped to buy us a bunch of stuff on the way back. You know how he is. Idiot probably blew half our cash on energy drinks and Fun-dip.”

Hagan laughed sleepily, “Oooh! Don’t worry I won’t tell him you called him an idiot. Alright, Big Sis...I’m gonna crash. Seeya.”

Her smile fell as soon as his back was turned. Almost immediately after, she heard the sound of the front door banging open and she darted to the railing, one hand on Salazzle’s Pokeball in case-

She breathed a small sigh of relief; he was finally back. He strode through the foyer and started up the stairs, hood pulled up so far she couldn’t see his face and hands deep in his pockets. She made her way to him, hands on her hips and fell in step beside him as he continued toward his room.

“Well, look who finally decided to show up. What took you so long-”

“I need a shower.” he muttered, not looking at her.

Plumeria scrunched up her nose and pursed her lips; that was all he had to say? Stepping in front of him again, so close she could finally see his face, her eyes widened a little at how haunted and weary he appeared. He stood there, slouching more than usual, surprisingly not yelling at her to move or even resisting that much. Still angry at him for earlier but growing concerned now as well, Plumeria reached up and after a moment’s hesitation, rested her hand against his jaw.

“Guzma, what happened? Yo, we were all starting to get really-”

Abruptly, he shoved an envelope into her hands and snapped, “I got us the damn money. Y’all are welcome. Now leave me the fuck alone for a bit, will ya? I feel disgusting...”

Before she could say anything else, he stalked off and ducked into the bathroom nearest his room, slamming the door so hard a few grunts drowsily stumbled out of their rooms to see what was going on. Plumeria was rooted to the spot, the envelope in one hand and the other up to her face where she has gone to push some stray hairs aside but was now frozen in horror. She felt sick, confused, furious, and kept telling herself that it couldn’t possibly be true.

How he had come back so late, how he looked almost ashamed, how he immediately needed a shower and said he felt disgusting and now how she could smell Lusamine’s expensive perfume on the hand she had touched him with. She wanted desperately to be wrong but so many signs were there and she wasn’t stupid...no...he wouldn’t...

A long time later, he wasn’t exactly sure how long and he didn’t care, Guzma stepped out of the bathroom in his pajama pants and a clean t-shirt, rubbing a hole-filled towel over his damp hair. He let out a long sigh, feeling immensely more relaxed and that it was time for bed. He yawned, scratching himself as he opened the door to his room-to find Plumeria perched on his ‘throne’, tapping her fingers on it’s arm. Instantly he frowned.

“Can’t you let me get some goddamn sleep?!”

She stood and in a few quick strides was in front of him, where he could see her eyes were red and a bit puffy, though that did nothing to diminish their ferocity.

“What really kept you so long?!” she demanded.

Guzma groaned and rubbed his face, starting to inch around her, “Nothin’! Jeez Plumeria what’s gotten into you? I’m fine. Everything’s fine. Just lemme get some sleep and I’ll talk to you whenever the hell I wake up.”

Plumeria’s heart raced; she had to know or she’d never rest. She had to know before she got herself in any deeper, but the one thing she did know was that the next thing she was about to say would make or break everything.

“Did you sleep with her?”

Guzma stopped dead in his tracks, whipping his head toward her and uncertain if he’d heard that right, “What?”

“Let me make it a little clearer; did you fuck Lusamine?” she said venomously.

He stared at her, grey eyes wide and face twisted with disgust and disbelief. She glared right back at him, searching for any clue to the truth-and quickly realized it was right there in his stormy eyes before he even opened his mouth.

Hurling the towel he still held to the floor, he snarled, “Are you high or somethin’? Seriously Plumes what the fuck?!”

Realizing now she had indeed made a mistake, but knowing she couldn’t take it back nor was she willing to apologize just yet, she pressed on, “You came back way later than usual, I could smell her damn perfume on you, saying you needed a shower, actin’ shady as all hell-don’t get mad at me for putting two and two together, G.”

“I think you need to check your damn math!” he yelled, “Fine! If you’re not gonna let me rest anyway so I’ll tell ya what actually happened!”

Flopping onto his bed, he made a sweeping, highly sarcastic motion with one arm, indicating for her to sit before folding them behind his head, “So…”

_-Guzma cocked an eyebrow. What did she want? She hadn’t said yet, just keeping her beautiful but cold eyes on him, one corner of her mouth upturned as if she was thinking, flawlessly manicured nails tapping the side of his jaw. They seemed like tiny razor blades and he felt goosebumps prickle his skin._

_Wait a minute…no. No. His insides twisted with a wave of nausea and his mind raced; surely she wasn’t asking that. But the way she was gazing at him, if he was reading her right, which was tricky to say, spoke of wanting something much more than he was willing to give._

_“Um, Madame Prez? I’m not sure what you’re asking of me here, but…”_

_“Oh, so sorry,” she said abrupt;y, withdrawing her hand, “I was just considering one possibility, and I’ve decided; yes, this would be the perfect way to ‘make up the difference’, as you put it.”_

_He braced himself, “Which is…?”_

_She turned away, picking up a picture off her desk. She gazed at it silently for a minute, her expression nearly impossible to decipher until her eyebrows furrowed the slightest bit, the twitch of her cheeks showing she was clenching her teeth. Relaxing again to a perfect mask, she turned the picture around so Guzma could see it and pointed to one of the figures within._

_“This young man is my son. His name is Gladion. Some time ago, he ran away from home, and I’ve been ever so worried about him…that, and he has something very important to me…” her eyes sharpened for a second, cold fury burning in them until she seemed to compose herself once more, “I know your friends travel all over Alola, so I’ll make a deal with you. Find him, bring him to me, and I’ll gladly give you more money.”_

_Guzma stared at the photo, looking casual despite the shock he felt; that boy who had showed up at their door soaking wet and demanding a battle with the boss himself, was HER son? The same kid who clearly, deeply cared for the monstrosity of a creature he called Null, who was and was not a part of their dysfunctional family, had a family right here? Thankful she hadn’t wanted what he had been dreading but now feeling a different sort of dread, he realized he needed to make a decision now, or at least say something._

_Meeting her gaze again, he nodded, “I’ll see what we can do.”_

_“Excellent. Well, now that our business is concluded, unless there’s any other matter you need to discuss, I really must get back to work.”_

_Lusamine set the photo down and moved back to her chair, about to sit when she looked at Guzma still standing there, “…Is there anything else?”_

_Coming back to himself, he quickly shook his head, “No. Yeah, I’m out. Thank you, ma’am.”_

_As he turned to leave Lusamine stopped him with, “Guzma?”_

_He paused, glancing behind him, “Yes?”_

_She smiled, seemingly friendly but he could clearly feel the malice radiating from those pearly white teeth and one visible eye, “Do find my dear, sweet boy, will you?”_

_Guzma only nodded, then swiftly as he dared, left the room, still feeling her soul-chilling gaze on his back…_

_Later, back on Ula’Ula, he started to make for home, but stopped. He stood on the small beach, looking up at the walls surrounding Po Town, now visible only from the faint moonlight that managed to reach through the clouds and the occasional flash of lightning, barely noticing the rain soaking through his clothes. He couldn’t go back just yet._

_He needed time to clear his head, to think, to make a choice._

_Spinning on his heel, his picked his way down the driftwood-littered beach and found the narrow trail that wound around the backside of the island, his feet wandering the path as his mind wandered elsewhere. One hand found the envelope in his pocket, and he ran his thumb over the smooth paper, feeling the thick stack of cash inside. How much was that blonde boy worth? It was simple, or at least it should be, to drag the kid to his mother and collect his prize money…so why hadn’t he given Gladion up on the spot?_

_Give up one for the sake of all…shouldn’t that be an easy decision?_

_Sitting down under the shelter of a rocky overhang, he ran his hands through his wet hair and sighed; he knew why. He knew what Gladion would be going back to, what he had likely run away from. As much as he respected Lusamine and her drive, intelligence and the power she wielded, he also admittedly felt a sense of unease around her. Plumeria was right, though he wouldn’t admit it; the woman was Zubat-shit insane._

_Peering through his fingers at the rough black sea a mere several dozen yards away, his thoughts went to everyone at the mansion…how would they make it through that month with even less money than usual? As it stood, they barely had enough for essentials, much less for anything extra if something unexpected, like repairs or illness came up. He had always suspected Lusamine carefully calculated the money she doled out to them, giving them just enough to keep them afloat but not a cent extra, just to keep them in her grasp, knowing full well they’d starve or be in even more dire straights without her ‘help’._

_He then pictured Gladion; his nearly always stern expression, the fire in his eyes…the raw passion and determination in his voice whenever he spoke of needing to become stronger for himself and those he cared about. In that moment he realized how much the boy reminded him of himself around that age…angry, stubborn, proud, trying to find his way. Broken and lost as he was, he still had a chance to better himself and do something with his life._

_Could he take that chance away from him…?_

_His hands balled into fists and he stood suddenly, the rage and frustration welling up so swiftly and hard he slammed his fist into the nearest tree. He screamed a string of curses into the night, his voice all but drowned out by the wind and rain before stomping off to try and cool the violent storm within himself…_

Plumeria stared, keeping her expression even, “Gladion is Lusamine’s son? Huh. I can see the resemblance. So…you gonna give him up?”

“….No,” Guzma muttered wearily after a minute, “Hell no. Kid ran away for a reason. I ain’t gonna do that to him. A lotta the grunts give him shit but…he’s one of us. And unless he ever goes against us, I’ve got his back.”

“Good call, G…” she said quietly, "We'll figure something out for the money. We always do."

With a snort, Guzma glowered at her, “There. Happy now? I went for a nice, long walk. That’s what actually ‘took me so long’”, he made sarcastic quote marks with his fingers and jerked his head toward the door, “Now lemme sleep.”

Tired as she herself was, or perhaps because of it, Plumeria decided she didn’t feel like taking his crap at that moment. Planting her hands on her hips she glared back at him, “You can’t hold it against me! First of all, you were never gone this long before, and you weren’t answerin’ you phone!. For all we knew you had drowned on the way back or something. Secondly, it really, really looked like-”

Abruptly, he leapt to his feet. He was exhausted, almost to the point of collapse, but he also knew she wouldn’t let this go. Stomping over so that they were literally and figuratively toe-to-toe, he cocked his head, his voice a low growl and eyes like icy steel, “Looked like what? Huh Plumeria? What? Say it again.”

She knew she should stop. She knew she should walk away. But she couldn’t.

Standing on her toes, she got in his face the way he did to everyone else and hissed, “Like you went and slept with her.”

Silence fell, a dangerous, thick silence. Unexpectedly, he grinned, but it held no amusement, “I dunno why do you care so much.”

Her stomach knotted at the thought, “Because it’d just be one more way she’s using you!”

“I ain’t stupid Plumeria!” he bellowed, and she backed away, “You think I don’t fuckin’ know what’s going on?! Ya know why I roll with it?! ‘Cause I got a lotta mouths to feed and if this is the only option I got then so be it! I’m a fuckin’ asshole but I’d do just about anything for these dumb kids but that is like, the one thing I wouldn’t!”

Unable to stop herself and certain she’d already destroyed any chance she had, Plumeria spat, “Why not? You’d do anything else she asked!”

_“‘Cause she ain’t the one I wanna be with you are!”_

His words seemed to echo off the walls, settling in the air and space between them, dissolving into silence yet again. This silence held a very different sort of tension than the one several minutes before and they regarded each other with a wary kind of uncertainty. Plumeria’s mouth fell open a little, her gold eyes widening as her mind raced; did he really just say..?

Guzma felt his cheeks warm, and quickly looked away, rubbing the back of his neck. _‘Great’,_ he cursed himself, _‘You blew it, dumbass...’_

“Guzma...? she asked quietly.

“Yeh?”

She crossed her arms and looked away for a minute, then gazed at him sideways, “You mean that?”

“Arceus, Plumes! Don’t make me get all mushy and shit or like, repeat myself but...yeah. Yeah, I’ve uh, had a thing for you for a long time. I just..” he shoved his hands in his pockets and scuffed his heel on the floor, fidgeting and refusing to look directly at her, “I just been busy, and honestly I figured there was no way you’d ever feel the same...”he turned his back, feeling uncomfortably like a kid caught in a lie, “You’re tough as hell, super smart, can kick major ass in a Pokemon battle, everyone respects and looks up to you, you’ve stuck by me and all my bullshit for years...plus, let’s be real, you’re smokin’ hot...and...ah hell...”

Plumeria was in disbelief; this was really happening. He did feel the same way she did, and here he was straight-up admitting it. Now she felt suddenly and horribly awkward, wondering what she could possibly say to match what he had. As she mulled it over he spoke again, his voice lower and, she realized, tinged with a deep sorrow.

“Yeah, I hear ya...actually, I don’t, and that says enough. Tch, I didn’t expect you to reciprocate. I mean, I’m your boss, so that makes things kinda weird, plus as strong and everything as I am, you gotta admit, I ain’t the sharpest guy around. Dammit...” he kicked the leg of his bed, but there was no strength in it, “Now I probably went and fucked things up between us. I dunno what else-”

He stiffened as he abruptly felt a pair of arms around him from behind and a familiar fragrance fill his nose. Plumeria held him tightly, trying to convey through her embrace alone how she really felt. Seeming to understand he turned around in her arms and after one more moment’s hesitation met her gaze.

A grin tugged at the corner of her mouth, “You big dummy. I...I got a thing for you too.”

His eyebrow shot up and he slowly snaked his arms around her back, “Seriously? Why didn’t you say anything? I’ve never known you not to speak your mind.”

Her grin widened, “I could say the same to you.”

“Tch, smart-ass. Listen here, P...”

“What?”

Before he could overthink it, he leaned in and gave her a quick, soft kiss, smirking against her lips as he saw her eyes widen and felt her inhale sharply. Pulling back, his expression turned serious again.

“This is the real reason why you had a stick up your ass about my sex life, isn’t it?”

Plumeria met his hard gaze unflinchingly, “Yes...but it’s because I stand by what I said. I hate seeing you being used. Now I can say more of why-because I care about you. And well...fine, I’d be jealous. And grossed out.”

He pulled her closer and she tensed for a second, unused to this kind of affection from him. Her eyes fell shut, soaking in his warmth and his musky scent laced with cocoa and the soap he had used. With the knowledge of their mutual confessions added on, her heart began to hammer so hard she was certain he could feel it. Finally relaxing she hugged him back as he murmured into her ear.

“And I stand by what I said...you’re the one I’d wanna be with.”

She squeezed him tightly, taking those words and this moment and stashing them away deep inside her. As if their beings were in tune, they stepped apart at the same time and glanced around before settling on each other once more.

Guzma absently rubbed the back of his neck, “Soooo...how does this work? Are we like, a thing now? Boyfriend and girlfriend?” he winked, “Friends with benefits?”

Plumeria rolled her eyes but smiled nonetheless, “We’ll figure it out in the morning...I'm about to pass out here, and I’ll let you get some sleep too. Good night, Big G.”

“Whoa, hey hold up...” he inclined his head toward his bed, “After all this, you’re not gonna stay?”

She stared at him, blinking, “Um...moving a bit fast, don’t you think?”

“No! No no-not-!” he roughly ran his hands through his hair, “I don’t mean that! I do have a big bed and I’m just askin’ if you want to literally, not THAT way, sleep with me...” his face split into a downright devilish grin, “Unless you want to, that is.”

Plumeria stared at it, admitting that, especially in her current semi-delirious state, the usually brief walk back to her room seemed far too distant to manage and that the large, plush-looking bed called to her weary body. Yawning, she slipped off her sneakers and started to un-do her hair clips.

“Well, you are the Boss, after all.”

Ignoring his triumphant smile, she shook her head to let her long hair cascade down her back before lifting the sheet and crawling underneath. Mirroring her, he scooted into bed behind her and wriggled so he was flush against her back. He wrapped his arms around her, yanking her snugly against himself and burrowed his face in her neck. They shifted into a comfortable silence, the only sounds their breath and the constant patter of rain on the roof.

“Hey...G?” said Plumeria.

When after a minute her only response was his slow, deep breathing, she realized he was already out. Sleep beginning to overtake her as well, she whispered to him as she drifted off.

“Good night...”

**Author's Note:**

> Originally I was going to have Gladion in it too, but couldn't figure out where to fit him in so he's just mentioned.  
> Oh, and P.s. I had fun cock-blocking all the Guzma/Lusamine shippers. Seriously. Why? She's horrible to him. Y'all are weird.


End file.
